13 of the state's 23 counties saw employment gains in the last quarter while the other 10 counties saw job numbers slip.

David Bullard is senior economist at Workforce Services. He says the state's employment slowdown is being mirrored by a slowdown in the energy industry.

Bullard says that employment is still growing at below 1 percent, but the state is losing jobs in the oil and gas sector. He says the state is still dealing with lingering effects from the 2008 recession.